Fahamu Pecou and his art push boundaries, challenge classic representations, and have solidified his place as one of the most important contemporary artists of the 21st century. His work combines observations on hip-hop, the fine art world, and pop culture, and this is expressed through paintings, performance art, and academic work as well. I was really lucky to get a chance to talk with Fahamu fresh off his most recent accomplishment — earning his PhD from Emory University!

Our conversation started with Fahamu giving a retrospective on his work, and talked about his multidisciplinary practice and hinted at his next project. Fahamu also talked about his journey to Atlanta, how the city helped shape him as an artist, and how he sees Atlanta as a city for the arts. I also asked how his work has been perceived as his public profile has grown, and I think you’ll definitely want to hear Fahamu’s answer about that. If you haven’t heard of Fahamu Pecou before now, I guarantee you’ll come away from this interview with a good idea about who he is and what he represents for the culture!

Atlanta’s own Goldi Gold describes himself as a “blue collar” digital illustrator, but his hustle and quality of work are top notch. As a fixture of Atlanta’s art scene, Goldi makes sure he’s out there making sure people see art in person.

We talked about how he got started as an illustrator, and what inspires his unique style. From there, Goldi talked about what drew him to Atlanta, and what follows is a candid discussion about how the city treats art and artists, and talks about what motivates him to create day after day. Goldi is a true working artist, y’all — support your local artist!

One thing that can be hard for new designers to grasp is that users are the most important part of design. Shaw Strothers is a huge advocate of this, and it’s reflected in his work at UX lead at User Insight in Atlanta, GA.

Shaw started off talking about how he got into UX after a start in computer science and an early start as an industrial designer. From there, he talked about Hue Design Summit, an annual event put on by Shaw and the Hue Collective for design professionals of color, and we spoke about the Atlanta design scene and how it’s evolved over the years. Thanks to Shaw for not only a great conversation, but for bringing a design event like Hue Design Summit to the city!

If you saw this year’s 28 Days of the Web, then this week’s guest is probably already familiar to you! Meet Daniel Dickson, a creative director in NYC for the super popular music video service Vevo. Daniel works on the brand side of Vevo, where he manages his own design team and works closely with the music industry as well.

Daniel and I talked about his beginnings here in Atlanta, and how he structured his career to lead him to New York and his current position. He also talked about the challenges of building a creative team, his former work at Nickelodeon and Tribeca Film Festival, and what motivates him the most. Thank you Daniel for being an inspiration!

Do you ever think about how the software that pilots use is designed? If so, then this week’s interview is for you! Meet Anthony Daniel II, a senior interaction designer who works in the aerospace field. Our conversation begin with a dive into the world of interaction design, and I even shared a bit about my brief time working for NASA!

From there, we talked about whether UX is being taken seriously as a design discipline, and Anthony talked about his creative beginnings, along with some of his dream projects he wants to do in the next few years. According to Anthony, collaboration is essential for design success, and I couldn’t agree more. Enjoy!